With North Haven’s campaign season in full swing — at least it's supposed to be — there is going to be talk of what incumbent First Selectman Mike Freda has, and has not, accomplished in his first term.

My main point is that there are many myths out there, both good and bad. It's important for us to get down to the truth of what this First Selectman has done over the last couple of years.

Successes

One true success Freda has accomplished is making the First Selectman’s Office open and accessible. This is an area where the three previous First Selectmen failed.

Freda has followed through on his promise to be more accessible and accountable to the public. He's also proven himself to be more knowledgeable about what each department is doing and how they can help taxpayers. I think the PowerPoint presentation updates at each meeting are extremely helpful, and the fact that he's doing Q&A’s on my blog shows how willing he is to answer your questions or concerns. Find me another municipal leader who's doing that right now.

Also, I like that he won't hesitate to face off with his critics. If you're someone who is going to burn Freda in effigy or criticize him at meetings, be ready for him to come right back at you.

Another real success is the improvement in oversight that the First Selectman's office now has, without overstepping its boundaries. I believe he did the right things with the building department situation. It's very clear that if there is any trace or chance of corruption in town government, Freda has taken the right steps to prevent it. This is much different that the Kopetz administration, which allowed it to happen, and the McCarthy administration, which failed to put an end to it.

Despite the lack of manufacturing, Freda has also been able to make the town more business-friendly. We've had increases in both commercial and retail, as well as Freda’s efforts to make North Haven the medical epicenter of the state. This comes from his experience as a businessman and his understanding of what businesses are looking for in a location.

Failures

With these successes come real failures.

First, Freda has failed in two budgets to cut spending, cut taxes and botched the bidding process for town insurance. One of his larger mistakes was trying to take a win-win stance on his first budget, which backfired when I, along with many of you, criticized that position on my blog and the budget failed.

I'll be honest. Given the economic climate in 2009, I was doubtful, but hopeful, that Freda could bring big business back to North Haven. He couldn't. I'm not going to blame him for that, because it's not like he's created a policy or price tag to turn businesses off from coming here — our Governor and President are doing that fine on their own.

Where Freda’s failure lies is that he based his campaign on that — just as President Obama promised change, Freda promised economic development. And while there certainly has been some development in town, many citizens don't care as much for gaining Buffalo Wild Wings as losing Marlin Firearms. I believe we may see the Cubs win a World Series again before the Pratt and Whitney site actually is developed. I also think that until we have stricter codes put in for businesses to keep their storefronts kept neat, northern Washington Ave is a long way from where it should be.

Another series of true failures on Freda’s part have been his non-stance on educational issues in town.

He was silent on the controversial public comment policy the Board of Education (BOE) adopted. He said nothing when the BOE hired Dr. Robert Cronin and gave him the highest salary in town history (more than twice Freda's). It also took a public uproar on my blog and at a town meeting for Freda to take a hard stance on Cronin's questionable Special Education plan.

It seems as if Freda believes that the BOE and Board of Selectmen should be completely separate, like church and state. Except that in North Haven, the First Selectman needs to also show some responsibility over what the BOE does.

So Freda’s first term has had some ups and downs. Because North Haven is in no worse condition than when he was elected, I do believe he will still win easily for reelection. And he should win a second term. As I have said many times on my blog, what Freda has down is point the town in the right direction for long-term success. With that said, some of those major successes need to happen soon if he wants a third term.

Chris Peterson, a former resident of North Haven, runs The North Haven Way, a long-running conservative blog which hosts discussions on North Haven and politics.